THE DAY OF REST. THE STRAIT GATE.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 168, 4 September 1886, Page 8

THE DAY OF REST.

THE STRAIT GATE.

" w ENTfiR ye in at the strait gaie: for wide Is the «»te, *nd broid is th% way, that leadeth to' deiatruotlon, and many,there ba which gtfin thereat Because etrait ia the «at% and narrow ia the way, which le&dethunto life; and tew there ■ "ba that tfnd ir."—Matt, vil 13-14. One of tha tinny delusions at preHent cur .. rent on the subject of religion is .that it is a very easy thiog indeed; requiring but little exertion, and but little differing from the ordinary course,of life, so that to meet the demands of God'a law is a matter of but little trouble. c '.:-•,. Some people think that if they. are industrious, sober,* - and honest, they are all that the. Almighty can' expect ■ them to ba. Bat a moment's consider**, tlon will show us the fallacy of any such .•opposition as this. What is industry" and sobriety, but a part of the duty we owe, to ourselves. If a man is not industrious in mott cases he will starve. If a man ia not • sober his health, happiness, and prosperity must suffer. But industry and sobriety constitute but a partial care of a part of our* selves. Much more is necessary,for the due - support even of the bodyj and then these things have but little to say to the s6u\; and to care for the body and negleot the soul u to care for the house and neglect the . tenant. v Honesty is a very necessary thing, but, yet it forms but . a small part of our duty to our neighbour. To imagine that these things constitute tbe whole duty of man is entirely to leave out of consideration the most real, important, and pressing claims . made upon man as an immortal and responsible being, the claims of his Creator. The infidel denies the existence of God, and consequently repudiates any claim made upon him in the name of that God. and yet he may be industrious, sober, and- honest, kind in every social and domestic relation, a pood citizen and a good 4ubjecc. Such a notion as this, then, is a delusion that must prove ruinous to the «oal Other people think religion is very easy because they suppose it demands merely a , formal service.. A few shillings or pound* given in the year for the support of the ministry, or the f utherance of, missionary effort. A few versea read daily in the Scriptures, and a form of prayer gone through at the bedside morning and evening. These things constitute tbe religion of millions. But does the Word of God give any countenance to such a supposition as this? None whatever. Very clearly it teaches that God is a spirit, and that those who worship Him must "worship Him in spirit and in truth. Such an idea as that to which I have alluded is voluntary ignorance of the truth of God. Again there are others who suppose that In some way, which they do nob clearly understand, they will be able to serve tbe world, the flesh, and the devil all through life, and yet, as by a miracle, be prepared at the last for the kingdom of God. They, Baalim like, want to die the death of %ho righteous, and to have their last end like his, but they are determined to live the life of the wicked. They imagine it will be like the transformation scene which we *e*d of in the pantomime. Some scent of gloom and wretchedness, perhaps a dreary dungeon in a prison-house, is suddenly touched by the wand of the good fairy of the play, and the dungeon .instantly becomes a gorgeous palace, glittering with precious metals and jewels, the abode of joy and peace. So the sinner expects to spend his life in the dungeon of sin, and yet to be brought at the last to such a eudden change of mind as will fit him at once for the glories of the New Jerusalem. I admit that such transformations have taken place, but I believe they have bean very rare, and itw not only madness and folly, but daring blasphemy and presumption to depend upon them. In most cases people die as they live. If we reason from the analogy of nature we will at once b9 taught that religion is net a thing to be attained without effort. Worthless and noxious weeds grow in great abundance without toil or trouble; but if you want a crop of wholesome and profitable grain you must plough and iow and weed, and perform many other toilsome operations to ensure its growth. Worthlea3 rocks strew your fields and impede their cultivation, but precious stones have to be sought for deep down in the bowels of the earth. The traveller cannot climb upward to the mountain peak without toil and care, but a false step may hurl hinj. downward, without effort, but to destruction. To imagine therefore that the service of God is an easy thing to a soul in which there is so much of remaining corruption, and with such powerful foes as the world and the davil, is to belie both the teaching of Scripture and the wise lessons of experience. Heaven may be compared to a glorious city set upon a j n| ll».«Ptoitthere runs a narrow way, admission to that way is by a strait gate. -But unices we enter by that gate and tread that way we cannot enter the celestial c*ty. Thtre is indeed an eternal abode, the descent to which is rapid and easy, bat *t is the abode of despair. Along that awful way, thronged by so many, we will be urged by the united powers of a depraved flesh, a wicked world, and a malignant Satan. . In pursuing it w© go with the tr f* m ' *nd V vo S re3B *a consequently facile • and rapid. It is of the3e two ways I would "•DWspeik. "- ■ , 1 .Thb Way op Life. This way is .described as narrow. Does this.mean that the way is unpleasant, sad, and gloomy 1 $ay, God forbid-'we should allow any: soul to '" carry away such a thought -as this. H,ear. the testimon?e3 of thosS who have trod that way. Solomon says: €t The path of'the. just is as the shining light, that shinoth tnore and ! more unto' the perfect day." (Prov, xiv-18 ) And again, " Her ways are • way 8 of pleasantness, and all her -paths are peace." Though- there are- difficulties, there is also infinite strength' to feneUtn and lead to victory. . there are many things which the flesh - loves which must be renounced and overcome, yet the Pearl of great price which 1 tiie .believer obtains amply compensates, t and more than compensates for all. ... The- entrance to the gate is Christ. He has declared "I am the i door.'" . But the < may • be * raised Mom this—"ls there then ■ narrowness in Christ?" Nay, •♦ whoaoaver" Cometh,/ to Him He will in no wiae cast out. i H6 will' gladly receive every penitent sinner. That door is wide enough to receive every sinner in the "whole world, but it istoo: narrow to allow a' single- loved' sin to' be-taken > through. You cannot pa'se through that strait gate n without a repentance that will include not only a *3rrow for, but a thorough renounoing and foreaking-* of sin. > You muat eonW to it ■ feeling indeed the heaviness? of the'burden _you have borno.'and ready in faith to lay it all on'Je3UB. s-Without'genuine repentance' ia^d true faith you can-never .find rest in iiChrwt.: Everybody wishes 'to goto heaven •t lart.'-Youi"by reader, you wjsh to reach tbetholy land;of rest and' bleaiodnets when -tbe- we«ry struggle of life is nmh.', iOfoir . would ehriok with horror from tb» thought «jrfftlMdßgrf3ltfrnifcyr^m6nK£disvHi 'iW spirit*.* But let me ask you;^re

y^'^if,upo& the wfty ihtt le*ds tolifo, let me *sk you again why are you hot upon that way? Ifybudoaotknowthfodayithat you havopt^eedi from) de»t& unto Jifi and have entered the narrow .^fty^Jyou aro^ ft'thel brood > way>f and mi 3 cone Wt,"/peril of an »wfol» futeij'JYout^iUtinob come toChriafci ihatyou might have, life, you^will nob enter the strait gate, because 5 there is some lo\;ed that you !cannot carry .through, s or that you camiot Youngman, you mingle witfy. ungodly "com pain on's', company you kndw preventsypu from en-, gaging in the service of Christ. \To,enjoy, their company you rfcjluee'to the straito, gate. I ask yourareyou prepared to go with them to the end of their journey ? Are you prepared to'travel'along 'that'broad road till it brings you to the gates of hell ?, Will you, for the gratification of low andeinful, tastes, to hear the obscene jest, or partake in some other sin, will you "voluntarily go down to eternal death ? • While you cling to what conscience condemns you are on the broad road, and'outside the gate of life. Young man or young woman, you cannot serve God and mammon. Yon must m&ke your choice. You must either cling to these husks of low 'carnal pleasure, or, entering the strait ga'ebecome'po'sseesed of the unsearchable riches' of Christ. Sin is clearly the service of Satati, and while it is indulged in the eoul: must^ tread the broad road to eternal doom,' ' '"\ v ' " The idea of ita being poeaible to enter into a compact with the evil one-, by which the soul was to be delivered to'him upon death in* consideration of pertain'worldly' advantages bestowed by'' him upon tha individual in life, entered' largely into legends of the medieval oges. ' But though we may now smile at the notion of euch a' compact having ever been agreed upon in so many words, yet the fact itself ia an awful reality. Millions of the human race have delivered' themselves to* Satan, bound hand and foot for some very small temporal advantage indeed. The drunkard sells his soul to eternal ruin that he may satisfy an' unnatural craving that alcohol has created in' his system. The worldly-minded man sells himself for a few acres of land, or a few pounds. Myriads sell themselves for naught; and all, even for time, make a bad bargain, for the devil's service is ever a hard one, while the " blessing of the Lord it raaketK rich; and he addeth no sorrow with it:" I remember once seeing a picture that impressed itself deeply upon my memory. A phantom female form glided over the odge of a morass. A multitude, representing all classes of society, pressed eagerly after that form into the morass. The face of a mask presented to them was smiling and beautiful, but the real face was that of a grim skull. So pleasure allures by a falee appearance that leads in the end to death, and hundreds blindly follow Only to be doomed to eterna} remorse. But if you put heaven before you as the goal of your hopes you must be content to leave sin aside at the strait gate And why should you not be content, nay, rejoice to lay ho weary a burden down? Satan's service may seem pleasant, but it is only while you are in the flesh. With spiritual eyes you will look back, upon those things with shame and sorrow. No matter then though they be dear as a right hand or right eye they mast be parted with. Look at Bunyan's pilgrim Hying from the doomed city. He will suffer none to stay hisprogrea*; his cry is " Life, life, eternal life." Look at Lot as he flies from Sodom, and hear the angel's warning, "Escape for thy life." Remember that the Christian life is compared to a race, and there must be no loitering by the way. It ia compared to a war* fare, and we must not beat the air. It is like* voyageduring which we must meet with many a storm, and never cease a vigilant watchfulness, an unceasing effort, a constant trimming of the sails and care ef the helm. Remember the solemn words—"Few there be that find it." But it may be asked, " Why is the road so difficult? has God mad© it hard for sinners to be saved?' Nay, God forbid. The very opposite is tho fact. He to lored the world as to give His own Son for its redemption, fie delights to show mercy and to forgive. The everlasting arms of His love are thrown wide open to receive and welcome every contrite sinner. But the hindrances and difficulties arise in ourselves, or come to ua from the wicked world around. Our own hearts are deceit' ful above all things and desperately wicked. Friends (so called) often throw many obstacles in the path of an enquiring soul. Professors are often so cold and inconsistent as to seriously hinder the soul's approach to the strait gate. But perhaps the greatest hindrance of all is the failure of the soul to perct ive the gravity of the circumstance in which it is placed. It frequently has no proper sense of the exceeding sinfuiness of sin. Not properly understanding the nature of the disease causes the patient to be carelees as to the remedy, and to delay applying to the physician. It U on account of this that sin is compared in the Word to sleep, madness, death. From this state the soul must awake, it must come to iteeF, it must receive life, ere it will strive to enter in at the strait gate. . It must be taught its great danger and its great helplessness. It must discover that its feet are.placed upon the broad road, and that nothing can lead! them in the way everlasting-but the power of the Spirit of God. When it sees itself in danger of eternal ruin, sees that there is life to be had in Jesus, 'and appreciates the prize of our high calling in Him, then it earnestly desires to tread the narrow way-which He has' marked by His life and death, and to press towards heaven. >'■ - ' - ' - 11. The Way ok Djestritctio^. —We have but little space left to speak,particularly of the broad way., Th.ose.wJbo havet?rodit have* ever, found, it a hard, way J ! In many caftea itit openly hard. When the drunkard ruins' bodyi home, peace,, property^and reputa- 1 tions we ;eay he treads a hard j\vay. Arid even where this ißnot so —Where the outward, circumstances may^eeem to be gay and happy, it is yet a hard way. The' immortal spirit cannot: be eatisfied with earthly things. The mere worldling strives* for peace and finds it not. ' This makes the way of even the seemingly prosperous and happy a hard way..; It is also a ,wide way. - Like a mighty water way, .a,great riveri' it bears its countless myriads on to ruin. • Every sinner who tieads the road, or floats upon the ,river, is a missionary of evil rejoicing when he can tempt,a soul to follow .him to ruin., It is a-fatal way, for it leads :by the. Judgment seat, to spiritual and eternal > death. It is a thronged »w;ay.. tWhat ajf blow ■ this v strikes, .at the. d elusive. notion that most souls are saved, Hear the vword of the Lord; f' MANY there be that, go in thereat." _'. „ „ , - And now, my reader,) will you .take; the solemn, earnest, loving;counsel of (the text, will you enter in at the 'strait, gate,? Jesus waits to receive you; .<'Oh, you will find it a happy, r happy^way,/>yqto».wiH ,bave, the, .company of-the^ people (Of dod, the tender;, care of the Son of God, and the strength of •.the: Spirit of God.: The door/will soon be! shut. The feast will soon begin.' " 0 entei.euterin." "^l " _t{ 4,*

" towlid:isgrea^nenVliettlls*is great-ih' Ms'prostration, and'^ito'Mdfe^aWobjectl^ contempt? than -wtfeti m-eif tread on fthe w *uins' Sabred «buildi^^^^ 'veneftjTnyie^